# A-Team, Knightrider, that one with the helicopter **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 5, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-team-knightrider-that-one-with-the-helicopter/711923 "2015-02-05T21:46:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-team-knightrider-that-one-with-the-helicopter/711923/21 "2015-02-06T02:27:53Z")
Stretch? _Knight Rider_ was pretty much just a re-make of _The Dukes of Hazzard_. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-team-knightrider-that-one-with-the-helicopter/711923/22 "2015-02-06T02:42:05Z")
White Collar has a little of this feel. No cool vehicles, but Neal is basically a superhero. Well, super-anti-hero. And there are arcs where he’s basically a criminal… Burn Notice is kind of in the vein, but the arc stories get very grim. Michael works for a couple of stone sociopaths at various points. So, not quite the same thematically. ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-team-knightrider-that-one-with-the-helicopter/711923/23 "2015-02-06T11:50:27Z")
I think the real answer to the OP is TV has switched from freelance vehicular based crime fighters to historic adventurers. There was the obvious Hercules (1995) and then the spin off Xena: Warrior Princess. Since then there have been that dreadful South African production of The Adventures of Sinbad (1996) plus the more recent UK/USA Sinbad of 2012. There has been that Da Vinci show, the Pirates show (Black Sails), The (Three) Musketeers, Robin Hood variants, King Arthur variants (Merlin for example), Atlantis and so on and so on. Most are short lived. They tend to have clear cut good guys and bad guys battling to appeal to the children plus there is usually a well upholstered female for the Dads. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-team-knightrider-that-one-with-the-helicopter/711923/24 "2015-02-06T13:13:54Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > I guess you don’t watch The Librarians then 😃 The one with that guy from Leverage? And the chick from King and Maxwell? 🙂 We wondered if we should be watching that. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-team-knightrider-that-one-with-the-helicopter/711923/25 "2015-02-06T14:11:31Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Stretch? _Knight Rider_ was pretty much just a re-make of _The Dukes of Hazzard_. Other than that a lot of the story lines revolved around an indestructible super-car, I’d call that a stretch. You might as well equate KITT and the A-Team’s van. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-team-knightrider-that-one-with-the-helicopter/711923/26 "2015-02-06T14:33:47Z")
> [@Telperion](#): > > I’d say Burn Notice was probably quite inspired by it too. > [@foolsguinea](#): > > Burn Notice is kind of in the vein, but the arc stories get very grim. Michael works for a couple of stone sociopaths at various points. So, not quite the same thematically. Yep, _Burn Notice_ always reminded me of 80s action shows. Especially _Magnum PI_. > [@foolsguinea](#): > > White Collar has a little of this feel. No cool vehicles, but Neal is basically a superhero. Well, super-anti-hero. And there are arcs where he’s basically a criminal… Good one. I think that’s a good fit. I’m anticipating a few new shows to return to this style. Recent attempts like _Intelligence_, _Nikita_, _Almost Human_, and _Covert Affairs_ are in that vein too, and though they didn’t all succeed, they still have enough appeal for the genre to keep being resurrected. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-team-knightrider-that-one-with-the-helicopter/711923/27 "2015-02-06T16:33:22Z")
_Grimm_ is a show I’d have totally dug as a kid. \*Constantine \*is probably a bit dark for a 9-14 year old boy though. I’d have liked _Burn Notice_ too- it’s the closest thing to the A-Team / Magnum PI style of show that I can think of in recent years. I imagine _NCIS_, _Agent Carter_ and \*Scorpion \*might be something a boy might like also. Really any of the comic-related shows- _Agents of SHIELD_, \*Arrow \*and _The Flash_ come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-team-knightrider-that-one-with-the-helicopter/711923/28 "2015-02-06T17:20:15Z")
I haven’t watched the show, but I’ve seen several trailers for _Justified_, which seems to be a show about a small town Sheriff “enforcing his own brand of justice”. > **[Justified (TV series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justified_(TV_series))** > > Justified is an American neo-Western crime drama television series that premiered on March 16, 2010, on the FX network. Developed by Graham Yost, it is based on Elmore Leonard's stories about the character Raylan Givens, particularly "Fire in the Hole". Timothy Olyphant portrays Raylan Givens, a tough deputy U.S. Marshal enforcing his own brand of justice. The series revolves around the inhabitants and culture in the Appalachian mountains area of eastern Kentucky, specifically Harl Justified re... ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-team-knightrider-that-one-with-the-helicopter/711923/29 "2015-02-06T18:05:37Z")
[The Highwayman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Highwayman_(TV_series)) had a helicopter but it was rarely seen separate from his truck. To answer the OP: look for [Walker, Texas Ranger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walker,_Texas_Ranger), especially season 5 and later. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-team-knightrider-that-one-with-the-helicopter/711923/30 "2015-02-06T18:33:19Z")
There was Nightboat, but it was rendered implausible due to the unrealistic number of convenient canals 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-team-knightrider-that-one-with-the-helicopter/711923/31 "2015-02-06T18:43:11Z")
> [@TCMF-2L](#): > > There has been that Da Vinci show, the Pirates show (Black Sails), The (Three) Musketeers, Robin Hood variants, King Arthur variants (Merlin for example), Atlantis and so on and so on. Most are short lived. > > They tend to have clear cut good guys and bad guys battling to appeal to the children plus there is usually a well upholstered female for the Dads. I’m pretty sure you don’t want the kids watching _Black Sails_. There’s an awful lot of exposed upholstery. Might be in some of the others as well – I don’t know them all. What about all the superhero/comic shows on these days? Arrow, Flash, Agents of Shield, etc? [Edit: I see **Bump** already had this same idea] ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-team-knightrider-that-one-with-the-helicopter/711923/32 "2015-02-06T19:09:48Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > I would argue that, in a way, Person of Interest is a spiritual successor to the A-Team. There’s a shady group of people working to save innocent people and prevent them from harm while simultaneously hiding from law enforcement forces out to get them. Instead of cool vans and guns, they have a (basically) magical ability to get into anything computer-related. > > The end of the PoI intro (“If you’re number’s up, we’ll find you”) has always reminded me of the A-Team intro narration (“If you need help, and if you can find them…”). I’ve thought the same thing, and PoI is also a bit like Quantum Leap. I will say that PoI has a pretty good ongoing storyline too though, it’s more than just a “save the person of the week and never see them again” show. ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-team-knightrider-that-one-with-the-helicopter/711923/33 "2015-02-06T19:13:41Z")
My fault. Never watched Black Sails, just seen trailers for it and knew it had pirates. Luckily I managed to avoid mentioning the various Spartacus shows which I have watched, and actually enjoyed (Why yes, Captain, I DO enjoy watching shows about gladiators and sorry if I called you Shirley) and so realised the upholstery exposed, plus the ferocious language plus the CGI enhanced violence would probably rule them out. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-team-knightrider-that-one-with-the-helicopter/711923/34 "2015-02-06T19:19:41Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > I haven’t watched the show, but I’ve seen several trailers for _Justified_, which seems to be a show about a small town Sheriff “enforcing his own brand of justice”. That’s sort of the underlying trope, but it has almost nothing to do with the actual show. It’s right and wrong at the same time. Justfied = the show where Walton Goggins does not have a great rack. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-team-knightrider-that-one-with-the-helicopter/711923/35 "2015-02-06T19:54:36Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > That’s sort of the underlying trope, but it has almost nothing to do with the actual show. It’s right and wrong at the same time. > > Justfied = the show where Walton Goggins does not have a great rack. Ok, thanks. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-team-knightrider-that-one-with-the-helicopter/711923/36 "2015-02-06T20:50:26Z")
Since Riptide was mentioned early I’ll submit _Supernatural_. Two brothers driving back and forth across the country in an black 67 Impala. Actually, rereading the OP, 10 and 12 are a little young for Supernatural. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2015, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-team-knightrider-that-one-with-the-helicopter/711923/37 "2015-02-08T01:58:21Z")
Yeah, Supernatural is a great show, but they’re fairly unrestrained (for network TV anyway) with the blood. There’s also some language that some parents might not be comfortable with, particularly they seem to throw around “dick” a lot more than any other non-cable show I’ve seen. As for the superhero shows, [ul] [li]I’d say Flash would probably be most kid friendly. [/li][li]Arrow’s okay, but sometimes gets a little dark (and was more so when it started, before they apparently decided to go more superheroey than they first planned). [/li][li]Agents of SHIELD is really more for that snarky adolescent (and snarky adolescent at heart) demographic that Joss Whedon is known for (even if he’s not super involved, it’s very much his sort of show in tone). Young kids might not even appreciate it if they did watch it.[/li][li]Gotham is very dark, darker even than the Batman Begins trilogy, which a lot of people didn’t want their kids to watch.[/li][li]Constantine, definitely not kid friendly, but it’s based on a comic made for adults, so that’s to be expected.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2015, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-team-knightrider-that-one-with-the-helicopter/711923/38 "2015-02-08T12:50:30Z")
They were the Pulp Magazine Heroes of TV. They had lots in common with Doc Savage, or the Shadow. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2015, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-team-knightrider-that-one-with-the-helicopter/711923/39 "2015-02-08T13:43:58Z")
> [@Aquadementia](#): > > Since Riptide was mentioned early I’ll submit _Supernatural_. Two brothers driving back and forth across the country in an black 67 Impala. > > Actually, rereading the OP, 10 and 12 are a little young for Supernatural. Hell, I’m in Dallas at some comicon and there’s the Supernatural car with people paying perfectly good money to have their pictures taken with it. 😕 Before yesterday, I didn’t even know there was a car involved in the show. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-team-knightrider-that-one-with-the-helicopter/711923.md?page=1)